Internet Speed Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the terms behind every speed test result. Each links to a full explainer. Run a speed test →
- Mbps
- Megabits per second - the standard unit for internet connection speed. One Mbps is one million bits per second. Full guide →
- Mbps vs MBps
- Mbps (megabits) measures connection speed; MBps (megabytes) measures file transfer size. There are 8 bits in a byte, so divide Mbps by 8 to get MBps. Full guide →
- Bandwidth
- The maximum data capacity of a connection. It is the ceiling on speed, not the speed you always get. Full guide →
- Download speed
- How fast your connection receives data. It affects streaming quality, page loads, and downloads. Full guide →
- Upload speed
- How fast your connection sends data. It matters most for video calls, live streaming, and cloud backups. Full guide →
- Latency
- The time for data to travel to a server and back, measured in milliseconds. Lower latency means a more responsive connection. Full guide →
- Ping
- A common name for latency - the round-trip time to a server in milliseconds. Under 50 ms is good for gaming and calls. Full guide →
- Jitter
- The variation in ping between measurements. High jitter causes choppy audio and video even when average speed is high. Full guide →
- Packet loss
- The percentage of data packets that never reach their destination. Even 1% degrades calls and online games. Full guide →
- Bufferbloat
- Latency that spikes when your connection is under heavy load, causing lag during downloads. Also called loaded latency. Full guide →
- DNS
- The system that turns domain names into IP addresses. A slow DNS resolver adds delay before every new connection. Full guide →
- Download vs upload
- The two directions of your connection. Most home plans are asymmetric, with far more download than upload. Full guide →